K-State is ranked No. 1 in the Big 12 Conference on the America's Safest Campuses report released this month by StateUniversity.com, one of the leading Web sites for college information.

However, many administrators on campus believe the report could have skewed information. High property crime and larceny theft rates, landed K-State as No. 84 of the 450 colleges and universities ranked.

Capt. Don Stubbings, of the K-State Police Department, said he thinks the rankings would be more accurate if the data was divided out by type and size of school. For example, many community colleges do not have residence halls, where a majority of crime on campus occurs. Many community colleges ranked in the top half of the report.

A spokesperson from StateUniversity.com said researchers analyzed crime statistics reported to the FBI by the colleges. This is the first year the Web site put out this safety ranking report. The safety ratings were determined based on the number of occurrences of aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, theft/larceny, motor vehicle theft, forcible rape and murder on campus. Violent crime was given more weight in the ranking system and had a greater effect on the safety rating than nonviolent crimes like theft.

According to the crime statistics provided in the report, the most common crime committed on K-State's campus in 2008 was property crime.

In 2008, 34 burglaries occurred on campus, down from 62 in 2006, according to Security On Campus, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to the prevention of criminal violence at U.S. colleges and universities.

Violent crimes were fairly low but still affected the overall score with two aggravated assaults and one sex offense. K-State scored a 95 percent in overall safety in StateUniversity.com's rankings.

Karen Low, assistant director of student life, pointed out that the statistics reflect crimes that are reported.

"Something can be reported and then, when the investigation comes out, it proves that the crime actually didn't occur," Low said. "It's important to remember that K-State is a safe place, but we are also in the real world, so students should take advantage of training on campus and be aware of personal safety on campus."

Stubbings said crime statistics can be skewed if there is an abnormal peak in crime because of a group or individual who committed multiple crimes but had not been caught yet.

Regardless of the inconsistencies that might occur in crime statistics and a report such as the StateUniversity.com safety rankings, Stubbings said he is still proud of the positive score K-State received.

"We are the No. 1 safest school in the Big 12, and that is something to be proud of," Stubbings said.

He also said there is room for improvement, and he would love to see K-State in the top 10.

Most of the thefts occurred in the residence halls. Stubbings said the university presents several seminars at the residence halls to build awareness of property crimes.

Brian Jaworski, residence life coordinator at Haymaker Hall, said the No. 1 issue that causes thefts are students who have not secured their belongings or locked their doors.

"If they don't do those things, then that makes it a lot of harder," he said.

Jaworski also said the residence halls take necessary precautions to keep students safe, including door access through student ID after 9 p.m., mandatory floor meetings and adequate staffing.

Bill Richards, spokesperson for StateUniversity.com, said students should also look at the crime rates in the surrounding areas of the campus, since the statistics of the report only examined on-campus crimes and anything handled by campus safety and police.

The report data did not reflect rapes or other violent crimes committed in Manhattan off campus.

"It ties back to the surrounding town and community," Richards said. "If they have a high crime rate, it will reflect in the campus."

Richards said he does not think anyone should take the report rankings for face value.

"These stats are just one facet of safety," he said. "The primary reason for the report was to get students thinking of being more aware of campus safety. Safety begins with oneself."

A news release from StateUniveristy.com stated, among the top-50 safest schools, there are not many well-known national universities commonly found on college ranking lists. Many large state universities and prestigious colleges that are "household names" in many parts of the country are scattered throughout the list.

K-State was ranked the second safest school in Kansas with Emporia State listed as No. 64. The University of Kansas did not make the top 100.

"I think our positive ranking is a reflection of the character of the K-State community and the faculty; students and staff here that are diligent in crime prevention on campus," Stubbings said.